Turbine Entertainment, developer of such AAA titles as Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeon and Dragons Online has announced that they are opening a West Coast Studio in Redwood City, California. Also along for the ride are some veterans from the now-defunct Flagship Studios.

"The new studio will be a vital part of Turbine's corporate vision as it brings new titles to market, expands the platforms it supports and introduces new technologies to expand and grow the communities that are the foundation of online games," reads a press release from Turbine. As all of Turbine's releases to date have been PC games, the "platforms" mentioned could imply that future Turbine titles are headed to consoles.

Turbine's push towards console games, and console MMOs specifically has been rumored for a lone while, and is supported by various job postings and statements from the developer.

For more information on the opening of the California studio, please check here.